Deferring or Declining Your Offer

Most faculties allow you to defer your admission to McGill for up to one year. If you have not yet registered for any courses and wish to defer your admission to a later date, you must make an official request no later than August 31 to the Deferral Coordinator by emailing the deferral [at] mcgill.ca (Deferral Coordinator). If you miss the deferral deadline, you will have to apply for readmission to McGill through your faculty.

Students granted a deferral of admission generally are not permitted to participate in post-secondary study, or the upgrading of secondary school results. During a deferral students are nonetheless permitted to take up to 2 special-interest classes. Such course work would include: art, woodworking, sports, music, etc.; and would habitually not grant any college credits. Students would still be required to consult McGill before undertaking any study while on a deferral of admission.

If you decide not to attend McGill after you have registered for courses, you must:

drop or withdraw from all your courses using Minerva, within the deadlines outlined in the eCalendar. Note that in most faculties, if you drop or withdraw from the Fall term, your Winter registration will also be dropped.

If you withdraw on or before the deadlines outlined in the eCalendar, your registration will be removed from your student record. If you withdraw and do not request a deferral, but later change your mind and decide you would like to attend McGill, you will have to reapply for the next available admission cycle.

If you withdraw after the deadlines outlined in the eCalendar, your student record and your transcript will indicate your registration and withdrawal from McGill. You must then reapply to your faculty student affairs office if you wish to be readmitted for the Winter or subsequent terms. Check with your faculty for details about readmission procedures and deadlines.

Fee implications: Regardless of whether or not you actually register, request deferral of admission, or withdraw, your deposit is non-refundable. You may be subject to further fees depending on your date of withdrawal. Please refer to the eCalendar for more information.